Synonyms of dresses

dresses 1 of 2

noun

plural of dress

1

as in gowns

a garment with a joined blouse and skirt usually worn by a woman or girl

what a lovely dress you're wearing today!

Synonyms & Similar Words

• gowns
• jumpers
• frocks
• kimonos
• sundresses
• shirtwaists
• housedresses
• minidresses
• shirtdresses
• sheaths
• chemises
• kirtles
• muumuus
• tea gowns
• overdresses
• granny dresses
• sacks
• Mother Hubbards
• coatdresses
• shifts
• sweaterdresses

2

as in costumes

clothing chosen as appropriate for a specific situation

a bagpiper in full Scottish Highlander dress

Synonyms & Similar Words

• costumes
• clothes
• outfits
• attires
• garbs
• togs
• getups
• guises
• styles
• habiliments
• apparels
• duds
• raiments
• drags
• vestments
• modes
• fashions
• arrays
• caparisons

3

as in looks

the outward form of someone or something especially as indicative of a quality

another version of the Cinderella story but in modern-romance dress

Synonyms & Similar Words

• looks
• attitudes
• figures
• manners
• appearances
• presences
• demeanors
• garbs
• aspects
• regards
• persons
• shapes
• miens
• postures
• outsides
• behaviors
• poses
• bearings
• carriages
• airs
• colors
• stances
• features
• molds
• deportments
• complexions
• poises
• comportments
• faces
• colorings
• habits
• casts
• turns
• countenances
• habitus
• physiognomies
• visages
• superficies

dresses

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of dress

1

as in bandages

to cover with a bandage

first wash and then dress the wound

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bandages
• heals
• binds
• treats
• ministers (to)
• swathes
• doctors
• nurses
• attends
• remedies
• cares (for)
• medicates
• cures
• rehabilitates
• mends

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unbandages

2

as in decorates

to make more attractive by adding something that is beautiful or becoming

let's dress up the room with some greenery for the holiday party

Synonyms & Similar Words

• decorates
• adorns
• drapes
• trims
• ornaments
• decks
• garnishes
• festoons
• bedecks
• graces
• embellishes
• arrays
• paints
• beautifies
• embosses
• bedizens
• enriches
• dolls up
• caparisons
• emblazes
• blazons
• gussies up
• does
• accessorizes
• embroiders
• pretties (up)
• fancifies
• traps
• glitzes (up)
• does up
• flounces
• ribbons
• tricks (out)
• garlands
• smartens
• feathers
• braids
• frills
• furbelows
• brightens
• dresses up
• jewels
• wreathes
• fancies up
• diamonds
• figures
• appliqués
• fillets
• freshens
• swags
• laces
• fringes
• chases
• bosses
• gems
• pearls
• gilds
• hangs
• spruces (up)
• filigrees
• redecorates
• redoes
• impearls

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• scars
• disfigures
• mars
• spoils
• displays
• defaces
• strips
• reveals
• simplifies
• streamlines
• blemishes
• exposes
• denudes
• uncovers
• bares
• dismantles
• divests
• uglifies

3

as in polishes

to make smooth or glossy usually by repeatedly applying surface pressure

dress the granite block to be used as the headstone on all four sides

Synonyms & Similar Words

• polishes
• rubs
• coats
• smooths
• scrubs
• glosses
• shines
• furbishes
• scrapes
• burnishes
• sands
• buffs
• grinds
• finishes
• glazes
• smoothens
• bobs
• faces
• files
• varnishes
• lacquers
• slicks
• bones
• veneers
• sleeks
• brightens
• scours
• sandblasts
• japans
• sandpapers
• rasps
• laps

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ruffles
• roughens
• roughs (up)
• scuffs (up)

4

as in clothes

to outfit with clothes and especially fine or special clothes

dressed the young girl in satin and lace

Synonyms & Similar Words

• clothes
• costumes
• attires
• gowns
• drapes
• garments
• wraps
• robes
• suits
• apparels
• garbs
• habits
• outfits
• decks (out)
• rigs (out)
• toilets
• jackets
• enrobes
• bedecks
• frocks
• arrays
• togs (up or out)
• caparisons
• vestures
• uniforms
• furnishes
• gets up
• dresses up
• cloaks
• mantles
• vests
• does up
• tailors
• invests
• swaddles
• equips
• huddles
• enswathes
• swathes
• dresses down
• habilitates
• underdresses
• haps
• bedights
• accoutres

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• strips
• undresses
• disrobes
• unclothes
• disarrays
• uncovers
• unveils
• untrusses
• denudes
• divests
• undrapes

5

as in suits

to put on one's best or formal clothes

we don't usually dress for dinner

Synonyms & Similar Words

• costumes
• clothes
• suits
• dresses up
• dolls up
• attires
• garments
• decks
• primps
• robes
• accessorizes
• preens
• apparels
• garbs
• prinks
• rigs (out)
• smartens (up)
• bedecks
• arrays
• togs (out or up)
• invests
• bedizens
• caparisons
• dudes (up)

6

as in grows

to look after or assist the growth of by labor and care

dress the beans by applying fertilizer once a week

Synonyms & Similar Words

• grows
• cultivates
• plants
• crops
• produces
• cultures
• tends
• promotes
• raises
• harvests
• rears
• breeds
• propagates
• roots
• sows
• gathers
• sprouts
• reaps
• ripens
• quickens
• gleans
• germinates

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• kills
• picks
• pulls (up)
• digs
• cuts
• plucks
• mows
• extirpates
• uproots
• hays

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of dresses

Noun

The baroque pearl necklace is perfect for summer because the heaviness of the gemstone contrasts beautifully with light dresses and boho tops. — Selene Oliva, Glamour, 13 July 2026

Cocoon-like tailoring, dramatic hemlines, and billowy pants and dresses create an expressive and eye-catching approach to fashion. — Cortne Bonilla, Vogue, 13 July 2026

The two had previously disagreed about bridesmaid dresses for Baylen’s upcoming wedding. — Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 13 July 2026

From everyday dresses and linen shorts to tank tops and tees, Old Navy’s sale section is your one-stop shop for summer essentials. — Meaghan Kenny, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 July 2026

Lerman says dresses are the easiest clothing item to pack, especially ones that are versatile enough to wear with sandals or sneakers for a variety of outings. — Kaitlin Gates, Travel + Leisure, 11 July 2026

Capris offer more coverage than shorts, while feeling cooler and easier to move in than fabric-heavy maxi skirts and dresses. — Kate Donovan, Southern Living, 11 July 2026

Check out the brand's pre-fall collection featuring pleated details, zebra-print totes and dresses, fun prints on mesh, and more. — Kelsey Legg, ABC News, 7 July 2026

Slip them on with slinky dresses, denim cut-offs, and anything else in your warm-weather outfit rotation. — Kyra Surgent, InStyle, 7 July 2026

Verb

Will’s obsessive, put-upon mother, Susan (Tandi Wright), belittles Alice, dresses her down for her attire at the funeral, and forces her to wear heels that don’t fit, leaving her feet bloody. — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 10 July 2026

Dior dresses the players for every official appearance—not as a sponsorship decoration but as a statement of aesthetic register. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 28 June 2026

While both draw big crowds and, like the pope, Bad Bunny often dresses in white, their messages are contrasting. — Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 10 June 2026

The most famous Colombian fan is Gustavo Llanos, known as El Cole (Birdman), who dresses like a tri-colored bird and has been to every World Cup Colombia participated in since 1990. — Michelle Kaufman may 29, Miami Herald, 29 May 2026

Hannah dresses less like a modern college student and more like how an older generation remembers quirky girls dressing in their own late teens and early twenties. — Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 27 May 2026

Shadbolt cleverly blitzes a bit of black walnut into a vinaigrette that dresses a spray of watercress on the side, adding an unexpected layer of harmony. — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 17 May 2026

As if aware that things are about to get confusing for the audience, writer-director Ritchie throws plenty of narration at us early on, emanating from Rachel Wild (Eiza Gonzalez), the sort of ultra-confident lawyer who clearly dresses for success. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026

Alix Earle dresses in a red mini dress for NYLON's Miami Race Week residency at Miami Grand Prix 2026, presented by Mini USA, on April 29. — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 4 May 2026